The incident took place on Tuesday.
A shocking video has surfaced online showing two EVA Air passengers fighting over a seat on a long-haul flight from Taiwan to California. According to the New York Post, the incident took place on Tuesday. The fight broke out mere hours into the 11.5-hour lengthy journey when one of the passengers decided to switch seats because his neighbour was coughing - and took the other's seat. When the original occupant returned, he tried to hit the man who had poached the seat.
The video shared on X (formerly Twitter), shows flight attendants trying to calm the two fighting passengers. As they try to separate the men, one of the flight attendants gets elbowed in the head. In the background, passengers scream as the two men continue to tussle, exchanging blows in the aisle before several passengers step in to help the crew separate them.
Sharing the clip, an X user wrote, "Yesterday, a fierce fight broke out on an EVA Air flight BR08 bound from Taiwan to San Francisco. Two passengers engaged in a heated argument over an empty seat, which quickly escalated into a physical altercation".
Watch the video below:
According to the Post, the fight is said to have broken after one of the passengers became upset by another next to him who was constantly coughing. He then took it upon himself to switch seats and went to find an empty one. He sat down, but minutes later, the seat's original occupant returned.
A violent brawl then quickly erupted and the cabin crew members had to put themselves between the two men to break it up. Punches were thrown and one of the men even had to be restrained as fellow passengers screamed.
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The crew managed to eventually calm the tensions. Following the violent fight the two men, who continued to point and shout at each other, were kept apart for the remainder of the flight. They were reportedly handed over to the police in San Francisco upon arrival.
Meanwhile, on social media, the video has gone viral with more than 34,000 views. In the comments section, users praised the flight attendants. "Hats off to the flight attendants' professionalism and quick intervention. Wonder if any punishment was handed to these passengers?" wrote one user. "When this happens, would aircrew accept assistance from a trained person to restrain any violent customers? Always see grown men more interested in recording cabin crew being swamped by violent males who can't handle their alcohol," expressed another.